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That got dark fast.

"I found him." El said as she kept the blind fold over her eyes the next morning, the static of Mikes walkie next to her.

"Where is he?" Max asked her, watching closer from were she sat next to Carrie.

"Woods, he's with Will and Carries Mom."

"My Mom?"

"What are they doing?"

"I'll-anno." El tried to say, coming out odd.

"Mike! Breakfast!" Karen shouted from upstairs, getting shouted back at by Mike.

"Illinois? Like the state?" Mavis asked her as El took the blindfold off with a shrug.

"Illino." she simply repeated as the girls lead her to the bathroom.

"Ugh, I can't stand blood." Carrie commented as she watched Mavis wipe the blood from under El's nose, watching as she touched the bruise on her neck.

"Does it hurt still?" Mavis asked her worried as El turned to her with a blink.

"Only when I talk." El informed her as Mavis nodded with a frown, Max jumping in quickly.

"Well it's a good thing you aren't Mike, blah blah blah." Max commented, making them laugh as Carrie frowned slightly.

"Come on, Car Bear. If you miss him so much why don't you just make up?" Mavis asked as she bumped her shoulder some as the girl sighed.

"Because he needs to realize he was wrong, not me." Carrie said as Mavis nodded.

"But if you miss him..." she trailed off, "I mean I know it sucks not having your lover around you all the time."

"Do whatever feels right." Max said to her as she swung a arm around the slightly shorter girl as Carrie nodded with another frown.

"It was the same thing, the exact same thing that happened to Will and Carrie last year. And look at this, look at the body temperatures." Nancy said later that evening as she showing the party Mrs.Driscals vitals.

"Okay so this crazy old woman who was eating fertilizer-"

"Mrs.Driscal."

"Right, Mrs.Driscal. What time did the attack happen?"

"Last night."

"Right but what time last night?"

"Around nine."

"You waited all night to call?"

"I was waiting for the doctors to run some test."

"You weren't there?"

"Well i'm here now, aren't I?"

"Hallelujah."

"Oof."

"So what time was your sauna test?" Nancy asked, getting the awkward tension off her and Jonathan.

"Around nine." the whole party said.

"Well that proves it, that proves my theory." Nancy said with a small grin and a voice of disbelief.

"She's flayed, just like Billy." Mike said as Mavis shot up with a clap.

"You're a genius, Nancy Wheeler!" Mavis said with a cheer, pressing a kiss to the oldest Wheelers cheek.

"Flayed?" Jonathan asked Mike with frowned eyebrows.

"It's the mind flayer, it flayes people. Takes over their mind, once they do that they basically become them." Mike said with a nod as El spoke up.

"Heather, Billy was doing something to her." she said while meeting eyes with Mavis, who nodded her head.

"It's true, we didn't think it was anything at first but now it makes a lot more sense." Mavis added in from where she stood with Nancy and Jonathan.

"She was scared, she was screaming, bad screams." El said as Lucas frowned his eyebrows.

"What's a good scream?" he asked confused.

"Max said-" El began, but cut off by Mavis running over and putting a hand over her mouth.

"Doesn't matter." Max added in quickly as Mavis nodded, taking her hand off El's mouth and holding her larger hand.

"I'm sorry, who is Heather?" Nancy asked as Mavis looked over quickly.

"She looked about your age or so." Mavis shrugged as Max added in quickly.

"A lifeguard at the pool." the redhead said as Nancy's eyes widened.

"Heather Holloway?" Nancy asked before her and Jonathan looked at each other, "Tom."

"Hang on back there." Mavis said as she looked in the back at Mike, Lucas, and Will as she stayed on Els lap on the side.

"Seatbelts." Nancy spoke as El reached the seatbelt over the two girls, Max and Carrie doing the same next to them before Nancy drove off quickly.

After the arrived at Tom and Heathers house, knocking on the door they had no luck. Nancy turned to El who nodded, using her powers to slam the door open. Nancy yelled out for the two, getting zero response.

"Jesus, it's freezing." Max said as she rubbed her arms, Mavis nodded as she pulled her leather jacket off and offered it to the redhead, who gave a smile and pulled it on.

"Do you guys smell that?" Nancy asked, causing them to sniff the air and catch wift of a strong smell.

"Oh god, more chemicals." Nancy commented as they walked into the kitchen, seeing them spilled all over the table.

"Think they're guzzling this shit?"

"Yeah that or they just went on a hell of a cleaning spree."

"Housewife's, can't trust em." Mavis commented as she crossed her arms over her chest, hiding the fact that she was cold.

"Last year, Will and Carrie didn't eat chemicals. Did you?" Max asked them, not remember either doing so.

"No, this is something new." Will shook his head as Carrie nodded in agreement.

"Mr.Clarke! Fifth grade! What happens when you mix chemicals together?" Mike asked as he turned to Mavis, Will, and Lucas.

"You create a new substance." the three said together as Mike nodded.

"What if they're making something?" he asked as Carrie frowned her eyebrows.

"Something like what?" She questioned confused.

"In themselves? I mean if you drink this crap it'll kill you."Max spoke up, confused as well.

"Yeah, if you're human." Lucas pointed out from we're he stood next to Mavis, who nodded her head.

"That got dark faster than expected." Mavis said with a huff, running a hand through her pink locks that were starting to curl up again from her lack of a straighter the past few days. Walking into the dining room, Nancy leaned down to look at the blood on the carpet.

"Yesterday, Tom had a bandage on his forehead.

"He was attacked." Nancy went on, seeing the way the carpet was wrinkled, leading them through the door the blood lead them too.

"They must have tied them up, they must have taken them somewhere." Jonathan said as he saw the rope in the middle of the floor, El holding onto Mavis hand as they got more and more clues.

"Mrs.Driscel, she kept saying 'I have to go back.' What if the flayed is taking place somewhere else, somewhere this all started, a source." Nancy pointed out as she paced around for a moment.

"Somewhere it didn't want me to see."El added in with a simi scratchy voice from the bruise on her neck.

"So if we find the source..." Mav trailed off, looking to Nancy.

"Then we can stop him, or at least stop it from spreading or doing whatever the hell he's doing with those chemicals." Nancy went on with what she said.

"How do we find it?" El spoke up, a look of determination on her face.

"Mrs.Driscel, if she wants to go back so badly why don't we let her?" Will spoke up as Mavis nodded her head, liking that idea.

••••

shorter chapter but i'll probably have another one up tonight:)